The Liveware Problem
by shirii
Summary: After SAO, they're on a mission to save the remaining victims but what if the person cutting their goal short happened to be the daughter of RECT's CEO with Kirito as the company intern? Can Kirito get her to fall in love with him once more? This time in the real world. Retake on post Aincrad.
1. Chapter 1

**4/14/16** – It's 3AM and suddenly this plot is in my mind. I hope to make this fic on-going, but I need you to know you'll be with me through this journey.

 **Premise:** Kirito has another quest to finish – to save the last 300 victims who haven't yet returned to the real world. Conspiracies from online forums have said that their consciousness have been transferred to a new world called Alfheim Online, but their bodies remaining in a comatose state. To save these lives he promised, he and other SAO survivor friends have intrinsically plotted to infiltrate the corporation of this new FullDive Division known as RECT Progress Inc. Throughout their months of planning, who knew that out of all elder authoritative figures, the daughter of this company would be the one ruin their grand scheme?

* * *

Everything was supposed to go as planned until _she_ got in the way.

 **December 31, 2025**

"Just remember to act casual and don't be so socially awkward like you usually are!" Klein yelled with widened eyes as he shook the shoulders of the young slim teenager standing in front of him.

He rolled his onyx eyes in response as the three younger girls beside him who were dressed in matching pink, white, and green cocktail dressed - Rika, Ayano, and Suguha giggled.

A loud ring of a high frequency, the same sound notification from SAO, echoed from his sleek black dress pants. He slightly pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked his text with the corner of his eye.

All of the Kanto hospitals refused to grant access of the remaining SAO players. It's true then. sent by Andrew Mills

As if his friend were there with him, he nodded.

Kirito sighed as he and his friends were guilty of immersing themselves into this lavish lifestyle. Tonight his beloved assault team accepted an invitation from RECT for their New Year's Grand Gala held at the Tokyo Hyatt. The entire conference room was coated in shimmering gold lights and velvety red furnishings. He had never worn a tailored suit before but it was worth it considering he had never eaten Yubari King Melons either, well, until today.

"Wahhhhhh!" Ayano's dark oak eyes sparkled as she found herself captivated by the stone-cut chocolate fountain.

Before Kirito could stop her so she would remember to stay in touch with the mission, to his left was the raggedy yet bulky Klein trying to woo the hearts of a group of four delicately modest women. Key word: trying. Kirito winced as he saw the red hand mark on his friend's cheek.

He nonchalantly leaned against the pristine white pillars and closed his eyes in deep thought. Somewhere here held the key to unlocking the secret of where these hundreds of victims were. There was a possibility that even those lives were the ones who died in SAO as devastatingly enough, Kirito thought of his original gang of friends – The Black Cats. Specifically, Sachi.

He had promised more than the world that he wouldn't let her die. He tried his hardest not to make sure of it but his selfish reasoning of hiding his beta tester advantage was what led him to unintentionally commit a mass murder he'll never forget. If they weren't held captive somewhere in data and that their lives were consequently taken, there was no way he would ever forgive himself. But even if he found out they weren't there, he would still save those victims.

Kirito made many unforgettable foes and friends throughout the seventy-five floors and two years of SAO, so there was a possibility she could be there.

"Are you still thinking about her?" Suguha frowned as she saw the same look of yearning her cousin had worn since he came back to the real world. But it was bothering her a lot for selfish reasons she refused to admit that made her heart break.

"Always." Kirito sadly smiled to her as he reminisced a certain assault team member who was his finest partner-in-crime.

 _Asuna._

* * *

Her long caramel locks grazed against the wind as her rapier jolted stabs towards a gigantic centaur monster at a frame rate so fast it would cause other users to lag. Even Kirito, who was constantly praised as the best player in SAO held no match for her speed and accuracy.

Two years ago, fourteen year-old Kirito thought it would be possible for him to purely focus on gaming as the introverted kid who never said a word to others during class. His classmates, however, were at the stage where their sexual fantasies went wild and girls were the main talk as they walked in their little groups of three during physical education.

Then when it came to SAO, there was a scarcity of attractive females especially when Kayaba launched a mod where a user's true physical structures would be displayed. Of course, the young Kirito didn't mind as all he wanted to do was level up and gain experience to hopefully clear the game. It wasn't until he met Asuna that all the salacious thoughts released as he tried so very hard to suppress them, almost as though the NerveGear also translated hormones as well.

Not only was she the most beautiful female Kirito had seen throughout SAO and maybe even in the real world, but she was the best swordswoman out there. And Kirito was there by her side from the very beginning to watch her grow into someone he secretly thought was stronger than him. Until she took part of the Knights of Blood as Vice Commander, it was a little off-putting that he had let her go and the fact that she wasn't by her side for any longer.

Since he met her in SAO as a complete newbie who happened to be a fast learner, he had mentored her throughout several floors until she didn't need him anymore. He was happy at first he got the independence as the solo player he loved, but it didn't mean anything if he fell in love with the only person he'd have in a two person party.

Regretfully enough, he never had the courage to break taboo to ask her what her real name was before evaporating into light fragments. In the heat of the moment as everyone was disintegrating into virtual space, he could recall a tidbit from their last conversation which was a treasured memory.

"Kirito-kun, now that you've saved the world, I guess you can rest now." She laughed yet tears welled up in her warm hazel eyes. "Is there anything else you need to accomplish?" She had to give one last tease before they parted ways.

Instinctively, Kirito looked intensely into her eyes with his onyx orbs as his thumb traced the silver band along her ring finger that matched his. He was hers and she was his, so he hoped to the great Kami-sama that they would find each other one day if it were truly meant to be.

"Marry you in the real world."

She nodded in agreement, wiping her tears away.

"I love you - I love you so much." She softly whispered as tears began to stream down. The two of them passionately enveloped their lips and embraced with their hearts overlapping. He would make that dream come true.

* * *

"I heard she woke up from the coma two weeks ago and she's already walking on her own."

"—Wow, she must be a really fast learner and a strong one too."

Kirito jerked up from the traces of commentary in the background noise. Could they be talking about another SAO survivor?

A loud clang was heard directing from the end of the staircase and everyone focused their eyes on the joyful graying man who held a smile full of gradient happiness with one hand holding a wine glass. Yuuki Shouzou, the top one percent who contributed to Japan's economic boom in technology bellowed his voice. "Thank you all for coming to our annual gala! We are pleased to have so many announcements to mark the end of 2025."

Klein, Suguha, Ayano, and Rika hurriedly rushed to Kirito's side with their posture upright as if military soldiers. Kirito also stood up straight and his mouth moved into a straight line.

"We couldn't find the key. It wasn't in the backrooms." Rika whispered in sadness.

Kirito's fists tightened. Their mission would have to be tabled for the second time and this was just more bad news to his liking.

"First and foremost, I would like to announce the end of Argus that will be in the hands of RECT Inc. and most player data will be transferred to a VR game Alfheim Online which we've worked on for a while and will continue to enhance."

As everyone applauded, the group of SAO survivors, excluding Suguha, had a look of confusion.

 _Does that mean the rumors are true? All of the missing SAO players were transferred to the other game?_

"And all of this," Yuuki turned his head towards Kirito who was caught off guard from his warm eye contact. "would have never happen if it weren't for a certain young man who exhibited strengths beyond human. We would like to give a warm welcome to Kazuto Kirigaya, the hero of Sword Art Online, and RECT Inc.'s FullDive top intern."

"EH?!" They all cried with their jaw dropped.

The flustered Kirito hastily marched up to the surprised CEO. "Yuuki-sama, this is too much." He scratched the back of his untamed black hair. "I never even applied." Heck, he was two years behind in high school.

He didn't even know what being a FullDive intern meant – would he be doing in-game quests, modifying the game, or being some sort of VR ambassador? But what he did know was this was incredibly profitable company that controlled that currently controlled the VR monopoly by creating the 2nd FullDive game and replacing the NerveGear system.

"You were an exception." He firmly placed his hand on Kirito's shoulder. "You didn't just save thousands of people – you saved my daughter."

Everyone gasped at the clearly heard statement as this would make front page news headlines instantly. The CEO of RECT's daughter happened to be a SAO survivor?! No one could yet wrap their mind but can only sympathize for this poor girl who lost two years of her life trapped in a game.

Kirito wondered if he had ever bumped into this girl within Aincrad. Maybe she was part of the daycare of the beginning floors or worked at the marketplace.

Meanwhile, Klein greedily mouthed to him _'You better accept that job. Think of all the money you can make!'_ And Ayano, who was barely half his size, jumped up to shut his mouth with her two small hands and mouthed _'This is your chance! If you work for them, you can save the rest!'_

Kirito nodded and short them a small smile. "Then I'll do it."

Yuuki returned a grand fatherly smile at Kirito before facing the audience. "And for the final announcement, with all business matters aside, I'd like to introduce my daughter back into the real world where she can continue to excel in her studies and make us proud."

"Welcome home, Asuna."

 _That name._

Suddenly, Kirito wore a horrified expression on his face with his eyes widening and his jaw left hanging.

 _It couldn't be._

If this were biologically true or not, his insides were violently churning as he was punched in the stomach. He needed to compose himself soon as the memories of the moments in the real world where SAO directories told him her information went missing or she didn't exist flooded his mind, making him on the brink of vomiting. It had been two whole months since he hadn't seen her.

 _But there could only be one._ There could only be one person who embodied a name so enchanting.

He turned to Rika, the only other person who was closest to Asuna, who had tears streaming on her freckled face as her hands tightly covered her mouth to hide her hysteric outburst. She glanced at Kirito and motioned to him with a finger pointing towards to the top of the staircase and he quickly jerked his head.

Whispers were exchanged as all eyes were on the young woman before them.

NerveGear was advanced enough to correctly calculate the dimensions of a person's body and facial features through a series of calibration tests, but it could be presumed that no virtual console system could accurately recreate the beauty before them.

She had a face that lacked nothing. The smooth creaminess of her porcelain skin, the luscious cherry red lips, cute upturned nose, and fiery hazel eyes formed a face one of millions. Her long, voluminous caramel hair reached below her waist and her signature side braids were still styled as it always was.

She walked down the stairs with one hand holding up her white evening gown that accentuated her long legs and a red ribbon that wrapped around her waist. For a second, Kirito could have sworn she glanced at him.

Restless thoughts aside, Kirito couldn't believe his undeserving luck of who the person he married turned out to be.

However, Kirito found it odd that he didn't get the long everlasting embrace a couple would expect to have for a reunion. Then again, he reasoned that this was because her father and the rest of the company were unaware of the relationship they had during their time in Aincrad together.

"Oto-san!" She stomped her heel on the marble floor. "I told you I didn't want this to be so showy!"

The man chuckled in response, "Nonsense, we missed your seventeenth birthday so think of this as a make up present. Besides," He gestured at Kirito and his group of friends. "I brought you some people from that game you played and maybe they can help you remember and adjust to this world again."

Ayano was the first one to react and gasped, "What d-do you mean by that?"

Another woman with a short bobbed hair who dressed in a business attire than event-wear walked towards the group of friends with ice cold stares. It was most likely her mother. "When she woke up from her comatose, a majority of Asuna's memories were blocked from transferring to the real world. We don't know why but this does serve as an advantage so she can finally focus on school again."

Asuna's frowned deepened and crossed her arms. "All you ever care about."

Kirito didn't know how to feel at all about this matter. He was incredibly overjoyed on one hand as if the buried weight on his shoulders were swept away. He was relieved that Asuna was alive after all and she made it back to the real world safely as he promised under his breath that he would make sure happen.

On the other hand, it wasn't him that made sure that would happen. I didn't try hard enough to find her. He wasn't there to hold her hand in the hospital. He wasn't there to be the first one she'd see when she woke up from her coma. He wasn't there to undergo the massive amount of physical therapy it she probably had to go through.

And now, he was conflicted onto how he was approach this new chapter of his life he got into. Here he was with the first and only love of his life who had the option to return to her normal life, but without him by her side again this time like the many floors of SAO they were apart.

 _Should I tell her? – No, she just woke up with no memories from SAO. How weird would it be introduce myself as her in-game husband?_

Then there was the fact that he was now working under RECT, specifically her father. He wasn't sure if this meant he'll be frequently seeing her, but now he was in the position that he was tied to the Yuuki family and no matter what relationship he would choose to have with Asuna in this world, he couldn't mess this job up.

10…

9…

"Hey…"

Kirito's deep thinking was shattered by the voice as sweet as honey than the cheers from the News Years countdown. He had to blink twice before seeing the personality change from the way she was talking with her parents. The second blink was for realizing how much more beautiful she was up close and the captivating presence she held and so he wondered if she understood what she was capable.

8…

"Sorry you and your friends have to spend your last day of 2025 with me."

7…

He shook his head immediately in response. "No, no! If anything, it's a blessing."

"Huh?"

6...

Quickly, he realized his mistake and what he said and tried to elaborate. "It's nice knowing more SAO survivors and I'm honored to work for your father."

It was her turn to blink twice but this time, for the first time this night, the ends of her cherry red lips moved upwards. "I see. Thank you for saving my life in that other world then. Kazuto Kirigaya, right?"

5...

4...

I should be thanking you for saving my life too.

3…

"Actually," Kirito wondered if he could relive that sugary sweet voice the same way he did in Aincrad. "Just call me Kirito."

1…

Her hazel eyes widened a little and even more as she saw the fireworks from the large glass windowpane lit up. The two of them looked at the dazzling colorful lights that laminated at its peak then disintegrated into millions of light fragments which reminded Kirito of how they left SAO together.

"Happy New Years, Kirito-kun."

* * *

 **4/20/16**

 **A/N:** Let me start with clarifications!

\- This takes part two months after everyone is released from SAO

\- Fairy Arc did not happen and never will – well, this will be my take on it

\- Have they been in ALO already? – Not sure, we'll find out next chapter but that would cover why Suguha's already helping them out

\- Some flashbacks will be made by me, some will be taken from anime, LNs, or progressive

\- Everything in the Aincrad arc happened, but again, I will add my own clips to it

Thank you for reading! Coming to this fandom was very off-putting because for such a popular franchise, there is a lack of satiating Kirisuna fics! I hope my contribution makes a difference and I honestly wrote this with no planning. Like, I have no idea what personality to give to Asuna – either super tsundere from SAO or the gentle lovingness from season 2? Also, this will be my first sorta-actiony fic because I'm so used to slice of life or very AU fics so you may see that the plot of saving people may not be prioritized at some chapters.

Otherwise, hope you welcome me into this fandom. I've pretty much devoured anything SAO the past month and I don't think I can wait enough for the movie (as I have heavy doubts) to be released.

Enough of me rambling. If you'd like me to keep going, **REVIEW! :-)**


	2. Chapter 2

With a great fiery force, his long black sword slashed the large Killer Mantis in half, disintegrating into thousands of light shards. Kirito let out a large sigh and scratched the back of his head as +352 EXP in large blue letters glowed in front of him.

For the past few days, Yuuki-sama had given him a variety of tasks which weren't hard but rather annoying. He was pretty sure at this point he had given him petty work and that he wasn't sure what he'd do with him either.

Now the last task of the day was over, he opened up the start menus but flicking his thumb and index finger and quickly pressed logout.

His eyelids slowly lifted adjusting to the bright white luminescent lights and the faint smell of disinfectants. As he removed the lightweight AmuSphere from his unruly head of hair, he sat himself upward, revealing the electrical wiring attached to his slim bare chest and torso.

It was still hard to adjust to this in laboratory testing unit hidden in one of Japan's top healthcare facilities. He still felt that it was a little eerie that all of his breaths, heartbeat, and physical movement were being analyzed as he ventured off to the virtual world and left his real body helpless.

"Can I come in?"

The sweet, tantalizing voice albeit so soft caught his attention as his eyes quickly focused on the girl leaning against the doorway. She was wearing red leggings accentuating her small frame and a white turtleneck. It was almost déjà vu as her outfit quickly reminded Kirito of her KoB uniform from in-game.

Kirito flinched as he realized his eyes had been wandering on her body too long, making her raise a brow. "You look great."

She glared intensely with her amber orbs, raising chills up his spine within a millisecond. He had forgotten how long it took for him to break through of Asuna's intimidating presence.

He coughed as he tried to keep it casual. "S-so what brings you here?"

"I'm on my last week for rehabilitation." She smiled with a gleam of pride her eyes. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you and your friends from saving everyone from that game. I can't recall anything from when I was there but I'm surprised I didn't commit suicide or something."

Although she let out a giggle to herself, Kirito found nothing funny and gave a meek smile. He had remembered the countless times Asuna had desperately tried to seek suicide on their first encounters in an attempt to give up, test the afterlife waters, or when he was about to leave her for the final duel with Heathcliff. To hear her bring this up again was quite alarming.

She frowned as she noticed his solemn expression and poked his ribcage that was very visible. After years of comatose, Kirito hadn't had time to regain his weight as he was now scrawny and underweight. "Hey, you should eat more."

"Let's get something to eat then." Kirito flashed a reassuring smile but on the inside, he was cursing and thanking himself for wasting no time to take this opportunity.

With the extraordinary situations they were at right now, there would be very little time for them to be alone together. He wasn't sure where he was going with this, either. At first he wanted the best for her – without him by her side. No doubt, he wouldn't be the same as he was before SAO as Kirito vowed that he would be immensely part of the VRMMORPG world and that meant taking Asuna's safety along the ride. However, even if the Asuna now didn't realize it, she was even stronger than he was.

Alas, he knew his intentions. He selfishly wanted to be with her every step of the way and if that meant being just friends, he would be okay as long as she was happy and he was there to see it.

Asuna crossed her arms and jumped up to the hospital bed to take seat on the empty space Kirito had left over which had her leaning against his bare body. "Hmm…"

Caught by surprise, Kirito flustered in red and almost fell off the bed. _'She's so direct...'_

What was teasing him even more was that her long locks grazed ever so slightly to his nose, giving him a whiff of a flowery scent so irreplaceable that no MMORPG could duplicate it. His hand slowly reached up to her small heart-shaped face but jolted it back down as if there were invisible chains stopping him.

"Sure, but if mother finds out I'm going to have to call you out." She flashed him a smile as he nervously unclasped the wires and put on his black t-shirt layered with a black bomber jacket.

"So much black…" She muttered as he shrugged in an embarrassed response.

* * *

"Y-you ride this?" Asuna hesitated as she gripped the bottom hem of her turtleneck.

Kirito nodded as he turned on his engine of his blue motorcycle, making a slight growling sound. "Hop on and hold on tight."

The more she thought about where this whole situation was going, she had probably overstepped the boundaries her parents had for her. Going to an all-girls school all her life, surprisingly enough to anyone who didn't know this – she had yet to be with a boy alone. To clarify, Asuna had gone through many suitors and arrangements, but this was first time in her seventeen years she had been with the opposite gender on her free will.

And it was a feeling she had never felt before.

The cold wind kissed her skin, igniting all the neurons in her body to move rapidly. The locks of her golden hair moved like ribbons across the sky. She squinted her eyes to see the fast moving collage of rundown to reconstructed buildings she had never seen before until she nuzzled her face within the nape of Kirito's neck to seek warmth.

' _This is so nice…'_

Kirito, on the other hand, no idea if the angelic figure behind him had any clue whatsoever of what she was doing to him. He was happy to be facing forward the whole time because she would've seen the redness on his face and probably had no fear to point it out.

"Eh, Kirito-kun, where are you taking me?" She raised her head to take a glimpse of his face.

He smirked in response. "I have a friend who runs a café. He might look a bit threatening but he's like a teddy bear. You didn't here that from me."

Asuna shyly nodded in agreement and fiddled with her fingers while her arms were still wrapped around his slim waist.

' _God, I'm so lame…'_

And this was her lame attempt to rebel against her parents that were getting on her nerves about upcoming college entrance exams when she had just returned after two years. Because of this, she truly believed her only purpose in life was to obey her parents' projected dreams. Everything else – friends, happiness, and love meant nothing since she didn't have any of that in the first place. It seemed like the only aftermath of her SAO wake-up was a bad case of affluenza.

"Hey…"

"Hm?" Kirito stopped his tracks as he noticed a few feet away Asuna never walked away from his motorcycle just yet.

She gasped in a girlish squeal and pointed at the license plate that said 0930. "What a coincidence! That's my birthday."

Suddenly Kirito reacted with a horrified expression with his body freezing up in a shade of blue. He quickly waved his hands in front of him to shrug it off. "Y-y-yeah, coincidence!"

Asuna raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms as she began to follow him in this whole in the wall place called Dicey Café. She never knew why she hadn't thought about this until now but she did observe how unusual Kirito seemed to act around her. Every word that came out of his mouth and every action seemed like he took a lot of precaution and stamina.

' _Or maybe he's just socially awkward'_ …She smiled to herself. Besides, it's not like any day you can hang out with the top one percent of Japan.

"Oishiii!" Asuna squealed as shoved a spoonful of the caramel colored baked beans wisping in smoke into her mouth. All the coldness left her body and was replaced with nothing but a homestyle warmth.

Kirito's eyes softened as he observed her reaction. Every time she changed into the bubbly spirited girl he was reminded of the Asuna he married in SAO and a bit of nostalgia would fog his grey orbs.

"My wife's recipe!" The bulky older man's voice boomed in pride. "You know what, I thank God every day that I was the one who got stuck in the death game instead of her. We were supposed to meet as a way of communication since she was working all the way in the US, but it's better this way."

Asuna's amber eyes sparkled in curiosity. "I guess I was the unlucky one then. I remember taking my brother's NerveGear instead to play on opening day and to this day I think he's still mad at me – but for other reasons, of course. I have no idea why I did it too…" She placed her slender index finger below her chin. "I just know I definitely had no experience playing video games so I'm not sure how I survived."

Andrew Mills, the name of the café owner, gawked as Kirito made no reaction having heard this story before. "You never played videogames, not even an RPG before SAO?!"

"Mmmm…" Asuna giggled, "I did have those app games where you would try to clear all the little Disney tsum tsums as fast as you can."

Andrew's jaw dropped even lower. "Incredible…One of the top two Assault Team members just happened to be a natural."

"Me?!" Asuna squeaked as she pointed her face. "I've never touched a sword my whole life!"

"That's hard to believe, young lady! You killed monsters with a rapier so fast you made it look like an art form." Andrew chuckled as he tried to reenact Asuna's agility skills with her butter knife while Kirito rolled his gray eyes.

"Hm…then who was the other top Assault Tea—" Asuna gasped as she put the puzzle pieces together. She remembered hearing on the news about the clearing group in SAO but never thought she would ever take part of it. Her bright eyes widened, turning straight to make direct eye contact with Kirito who froze in place.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Kirito- _kun_!" She jabbed her slender finger on his chest so hard, he almost fell off his stool.

Before Kirito had a chance to ask, she tightly gripped the collar of his black leather jacket and pulled him barely an inch away from her face. "No wonder you've been acting so weird around me – you knew me from SAO! And if we really were the top two players, we were probably partners-in-crime or something!"

' _Partners-in-crime…the understatement of the year.'_

Kirito turned bright red and gestured the café owner for help. Just minutes before he drove her hear, he specifically warned his friend about the situation that he didn't want to bring much of SAO to her but cursed under his breath that just a slip-up would ruin everything.

Andrew coughed deeply enough for Asuna to turn to him. "Well if it makes you feel better, I was part of the Assault Team too."

"Huh?!" Asuna pushed Kirito off the stool who yelped in anguish. "I'm sorry, but I think I need to go."

She quickly got off the stool with her small red messenger bag on and rushed out with a heavy heart. Although she was miles away from her home, she saw something along along the way that caught her attention and quickly dashed her way to her destination.

"Asuna, wait!" Kirito yelled, slamming the café door open but there was no sight of her long chestnut hair.

* * *

That's it!

Sorry if Asuna seems a little bratty but if you read the Progressive manga, you definitely get that vibe from her.


End file.
